As part of the inspection, inspectors were based at Sessions House in Maidstone from 6–10 July, meeting with a wide range of people involved in supporting children and young people with SEND.
While the inspection is now complete, we are still waiting for the outcome and final report, which can take a number of weeks to be published.
What happened during the inspection?
After notifying Kent of the inspection, inspectors began reviewing a wide range of information about SEND services across the county.
They also invited parents and carers, young people and practitioners to share their experiences through confidential surveys.
Inspectors spoke with a range of people, including:
- Parents and carers
- Children and young people
- School and college staff, including SENCos and leaders
- Health professionals
- Social care staff
- Kent County Council and NHS leaders and practitioners
- Partner organisations and local groups
Inspectors also looked in detail at a high number of individual experiences to better understand how services work together and whether support is helping children and young people achieve positive outcomes.
At the heart of the inspection was one key question: what is it really like to be a child or young person with SEND in Kent and to access support here?
Thank you
A huge thank you to everyone who took part.
We are especially grateful to the children, young people, parents and carers who shared their experiences with inspectors. We know giving feedback and talking about personal experiences takes time, and we appreciate everyone who contributed.
Thank you also to everyone who completed the Ofsted surveys. The feedback received from families, young people and practitioners helped inspectors build a fuller picture of SEND support across Kent.
We would also like to thank colleagues across education, health, social care and partner organisations who supported the inspection process and took part in meetings and discussions throughout the visit.
Want to find out more about SEND inspections?
Although the inspection has now finished, you may still want to learn more about what SEND Local Area Inspections involve and what inspectors look at.
You can read more here:
Area SEND inspections: information about ongoing inspections - GOV.UK
You can also watch this video explaining the process:
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What happens next?
Now that the inspection visits have finished, inspectors will review all the evidence they have gathered over the last three weeks. This includes survey responses, meetings, case studies, documents and conversations with children, young people, families and professionals.
Once their findings have been finalised, Ofsted and the CQC will publish a report setting out:
- What is working well in Kent
- Areas where improvements are still needed
- Any next steps for local services
We will share the outcome and key findings as soon as the report is published. As we are now entering the school holiday period, there is a chance that the report will take longer than usual to be released. We have asked Ofsted for clarification about when we can expect to receive the report, and will update all interested parties when we know more.
In the meantime, thank you again to everyone who helped inspectors understand the experiences of children and young people with SEND in Kent. Your voices have played an important role in the process.
